Apparatus for collecting and conveying materials



Oct. 13,- 1931. 1,826,840

' APPARATUS FOR COLLECTING .AND CONVEYING MATERIALS G. R., SYLVESTER Filed Oct. 2, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l I N VEN TOR Geo/ye 1Q Sy/vesferr A TTORNEYQ Y mr ld l l l l v I L IF 1 19319 G. R SYLVESTER APPARATUS FOR COLLECTING AND CONVEYING MATERIALS Filed Oct. 2, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR George P. Sy/vesfer.

A TTORNEY.

Pa 'emd a. 13, 1931.

O G R. sY vEsma t or anise b Q! ASSIG QQ O THE ABEQ 43 e snnvrcn QOMBAHY, orcorunensjomo, A conronerrenor onro ME N R- GQL E HM are i ermine IEMA S J Applicationjifiled Octeber 2, legs. SerialaNe. edema,

My invention relates to apparatus' for col. Figure 2 a 'view of vthe structure Y lecting and conveyingmaterials', lt has par ticular reference to a methodfandapparatu's V for collecting or reclaiming loosely piled ma 0 ie es h fle k), g l-7i a da'cba c o i t nyima ri or ater ls ch are carried in piles for industrialorother "frame 1 moun'ted. upon suitable wheels 2 OSGS.

ete e, Where th .eo e iesi e di 10' ai ng o ma rial a een a n s ry Pr cedure, th s has, in most instances, been accoinplished by the use .of'overhead means such t as a buck s or sim ar quipme r clerground conveying means into which: the

' ate ia have en fed. by hand ha e-be allowed to flow by gravity.

7 One je t of my nvent e s P ov de a simple and positively acting device for collecing or reclaiming materials of the type' described whereby the use of overhead orunderground equipment and the expense and inconvenience incident to use thereof may be entirely eliminated.

In accomplishing thisobject of inven 26 tion; I provide a collecting or'reclaiming and conveying device whichis adapted to rest and travel approximately upon normal ground surface level. My device is preferably so constructed that it has a reciprocable ao path of travel and has embodied therein means whereby materials may be collected or reclaimed while the device is moving in either direction of reciprocation. I have als'oprovided a conveying means, operating in conjunction with the collecting or reclaiming part of my device whereby the reclaimed materials may be taken directly from such part and conveyed to any predetermined mm for. thereoftand undercut it attwo levels so that Figure 1 is a cross section f thepreferred embodiment of my invention showing my, a device operating betweentwopiles of matea M d by y preferre m s-- rial to be reclaimed.

' veyer which I use and the manner of deliver? thatiany number of wheels and anynumber Other objects of my invertioniw'ill appear 1 of the apparatus described.

be seen in the accompanying drawings wherev shQWn inFigure-l;

Figure 3 is aside elevation of m'y' device and llustrating its relation to the lateral conr ingthereto. y

Referring to the dr Qwings, I have whichar'e preferablyof the type adapted to travel on'rails 3, As shown in Figuresll and provided on whichj'these wheels areadapted to travel; It will befunderstood, however,

of rails'may be rused, or that other means of tr nsp t g 91 mo ing h device may e Ad -P d. tetre la s h id 'otthe' i ta are pa ed d agech ins a w i h are to i 7 preferably of the endlesstype. Thesechains travels onspreckets ;5 which are .mounted en sprockets 5. i 3 V The lower part of the frame 1 preferably .e' 'pr s s a a p a nsa smodt I travel of the chain around the sprocket lhis plate is preferably soeloc ated'that-it solid upper surface over which a portion of 1 a each chain is adapted toslide during the v rides upon therail's-on which myapparatus is adapted to travel or, at least, itlrides immediatelyabove the rails. The tooth-shaped attachment-s10 carried by the chain project in- 7" advance of each platet} and dig into thepile of material beingoperated upon atgthe base the material will fall onto the 6' and be transported by the conveyor chain to the end fo d very is a c ey Asshown in Figure '3, these plates '6. A ,,;t he conveying structure extend over into superposed relation to 'ajconveyer t) which is I ,preferably.'.placed parallel to the track en whichtheframe 1 travels. This con'veyer may 6 y su ta l ypee may b e n- I It will be understood that my collecting or reclaiming device may be propelled along the rails by any well-known means. For instance in Figure 2, I have shown a motor 11 driving chains 12 and 13 which in turn drive I the axles 14 and 15 which carry the trans porting wheels of my apparatus. Likewise,

I have shown a means for driving the con-. ,veyer chain which lnclude a motor 16, a clutch 17, and gears 18 andl9'wh1ch transmit the drive to a shaft 20.

In the 0 eration of In device assumin that the material to be collected or reclaimed is disposed in two spaced piles across the track and with my collecting or reclaiming device located in between, movement of my device in one direction may be efiected either manually or mechanically. As this movement progresses, the projecting teeth 10 of the conveyer chain which is being driven will undercut the pile of material at its bottom and cause some of the material to fall over onto the plate 6. "When the material arrives upon the plate 6, it will then be subjected to the moving drag chain or conveyor t which will carry it along the plate 6. When it reaches the delivery end of the plate 6, this material will fall onto the conveyer 9 in a manner that will be well understood by inspection of Figure '3. This conveyor 9 will then carry the material to any desired point.

This operation may continue as long as there is any material in the path of movement of my collecting and reclaiming device.

Therefore. it will readily be seen that it is necessary b0 provide only one lateral conveyor, as at 9, inasmuch as the material will be delivered to the same side regardless of the direction of movement of the collecting or reclaiming device as a whole.

In the operation of my device, assuming that the material to be collected or reclaimed is disposed in two spaced piles across the track and with my collecting orreclaiming device located in between, movement of my device in one direction may be effected either manually or mechanically. As this movement progresses, the advancing plate 6, not

indicated on drawings, will slide beneath the bottom of one pile. It the side of the pile is overhanging, the tooth-shaped attachments 10 will dig into the overhanging portion of the pile and, owing to their lateral movement with the conveyerchain will dislodge a portion 01" the material, whereupon it will drop downwardly upon the plate 6.

the plate 6.

, terial of the type indicated.

M other portion thereof superposed thereabove YVhen the materlal arrives upon the plate 6, it will then be subjected to the moving drag chain or conveyer 4, which will carry it along W hen it reaches the delivery end of the plate 6, this material will fall onto the conveyer 9. This lateral conveyer will then carry the material to any desired point.

' t will be apparent that I have provided a simple method and a simple and effective apparatusfor collecting or reclaiming ma- My apparatus may be continuously or intermittently advanced into the pile of material or it may be advanced first in one direction and then in the other. It 's, particularly advantageous that my device is capable of collecting while mov- 9U in either direction, inasmuch as it is frequently desirable to build up another pile of material while the first pile of material is being collected or reclaimed.

lit will be apparent that my device is Oil rigid construction. Likewise, it operates practically at the normal ground surface level and therefore is ell'ective to removesubstantially all of the material in the pile being operated upon, although it is not necessarily 1 limited to such an operation. Furthermore, my device has only two general horizontal movements but, nevertheless, may have -a practically continuous operation.

Having thus described my invention, what- I claim is:

1. Apparatus for collecting material comprising a carriage, separate material collecting conveyors on opposing sides thereof, one of said conveyers being adjacent and one re I mote from the material when the apparatus is in operation, said carriage being movable to brine either con eyer into contact with material to be collected and said conveyers being movable in the same direction.

2. Apparatus for collecting material comprising a carriage, material collecting conveyers on opposing sides thereof, one of said "conveyers, being ad acent and one remote from the material being collect-ed when the apparatus is in operation, tooth members on said conveyers, means for driving said conveyers, means for moving said carriage, and conveying means to which said conveyors deliver'the material collected.

3. Apparatus for collecting material comprising a carriage, a conveyor on either side thereof, said carriage having a plate projecting from the side and adjacent the bottom thereof, a portion of each of said conveyers traveling along the top of said plate and another portion thereof superposed thereahove.

4. Apparatus for collecting material comprisinga carriage, a conveyer on either side thereof, said carriage having a plate project-" la; ing from the side" and adjacent the bottom thereof, a portion of each of said conveyers traveling along. the top of said plate and anand tooth members on said 'conveyers. a

veying units being operative'to convey the 5. Apparatus for collecting material comprisinga movable body portion, and independent conveying units disposed on opposite sides thereof, said conveyingunits being bodunits being bodily immovable with relation to said body portion and of such a structure that material can be collected by the apparatus while movingin either one oftwo directions by advancing the entire side of a conveying unit against the material to be collected.

7. Apparatus for collecting material comprising'a movable body portion, and independent conveying units disposed on different sides of sald body portion, said conveylng units being bodily lmmovable with relat on to said body portion andof such a structurethat material canbe collected by the apparatus by moving in either one of two directions by advancing the entire side of a conveying unit against the material to be collected, said conmaterial collected on either one of two sides of said body portion to one end thereof.

8. Apparatus for collecting material comprising a movable body portion, andfindependent conveying units disposed on opposite sides thereof, said conveying units being bodily immovable with relation to said body portion and of such a structure that material can be collected by the apparatus while moving in either one of two directions by advancing the entire side of a conveylng unit against the material to becollected, said con- 7 veying units being operative to convey the material collected on opposite sides thereof to one end thereof. a

9. Apparatus for collecting material com prising, in combination with a stationary conveyer, a collecting member movable along] and in proxlmity tosald statlonary conveyer,

and a plurality of collecting and conveying units disposed on different sides of saidmovand a plurality ofcolleoting and conveying;

units disposed on opposite sides of said mov' able collecting member, said conveying units I being bodily immovable with relation to said member andlbeing' of such a structure that material can be collected by the apparatus by advancing the entire side of either conveyingunit against the material to be collected, 7

all of said collecting and conveying units being: designedto deliver material collected to said stationaryconveyer.

' 11. Apparatus for collecting material-comprising, in combination with a stationary conveyer, acollecting member movable along and in proximity to said stationary conveyer, and a plurality of collecting and conveying units disposed on opposite sides of said 001- lecting member, said conveying units being bodily immovable with relation to said mem-'' her and being of such a structure thatmaterial can be collected by the apparatus by advancing the entire side of either-conveymg unit agalnst the material to be collected,

said collecting and conveyingunits-being de- 7 signed to deliver material to points directly; over said stationary conveyer'and to deposit such material thereon. v

r 12. Apparatus for collecting material comprising traction' means, a body portion mounted on said traction means, plates extendlng alongopposing sides of 'saidlbody portion, endless conveying members with their lower side portions mounted to travel along said plates and with theirupper sides spaced therefrom, and spur members projecting outwardly from the sides of said con- .veying members for cutting into the material to be collected.

,In testimony whereof hereby afiix my signature. I t v i GEORGE R. SYLVESTER.

able collecting member, said conveying units being bodily immovable with relation to said member and being of such a structure that material can be collected by the apparatus by advancing the entire side of either conveying unitagainst the material to be collected, all 7 of said collecting and conveying-unitsbeing designed to deliver material collected-to said stationary conveyer,

10. Apparatus for collecting material comprising, in combination with a stationary conveyer, a collecting member movable along and in proxim ty tosaid stationary conveyer, 

